Revolving letter or character sign



(No Model.)

J. O RAGG.

REVOLVING LETTER 0R GHAEAGTER SIGN. No, 318,960. Patented June 2, 1885.

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JOHN CRAGG, OF BROOKLYN, NE? YORK.

REVOLVING LETTER OR CHARACTER SIGN.

(:BPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,960, dated June 2, 1885.

Application filed July 3, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN CRAGG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in

r the county of Kings and State of New York,

have invented a new and useful Revolving Letter or Character Sign, of which the follow ing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in a revolving letter or character sign in which letters, characters, or numbers are caused to revolve by means of clockwork or other motive power, the letters, characters, or numbers at times having a confused and unconnected appearance and at other times becoming stationary, and when so stationary forming phrases, figurative characters, or series of numbers useful for instructive or advertising purposes. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying draw ings, in which Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the sign, the face-plate A being broken to expose the cog-wheels beneath. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the sign.

Beneath the face-plate of the sign is placed a series of cog-wheels, 0, these wheels being so arranged as to engage with each other and also with a driving-wheel, B. The spindle of each wheel of the series 0 extends through the face-plate A, and to each of these spindles a letter, character, or number, D D D, is firmly attached, so as to revolve with the spindle. The driving-wheel B, to which can be attached any motive power-clock-work, steam, or water-as shown at f, Fig. 2, is so placed as to engage with one of the series of cog-wheels (3. The number of cogs in the driving-wheel must be equal to the number of cogs in the wheel of the series 0 with which it engages, in order that both wheels may make one revolution in the same time. The cogs of this driving-wheel B are broken from c to 6, so that in turning it (No model.)

ceases while passing over the space from c to e to engage with its connecting-wheel in the series 0, the wheels of the whole series C thus remaining motionless until the drivingwheel again engages.

The letters, characters, or numbers D D D are so arranged upon the spindles of the series of wheels 0 that when these wheels become motionless, through the ceasing of the driving-wheel to engage, theletters, characters, or numbers form words, figurative characters, or series of numerals, and the purposes of the sign are carried out. \Vhen the driving-wheel B again engages, the series of wheels Care also set in motion and the letters or characters again revolve.

The number of letters, characters, or num bers which can be displayed is almost unlim ited, the only requisite being that such letters or characters be attached to the spindles of cog-wheels engaging either over or under with the series of wheels G and driven by the driving-wheel B.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

A revolving letter or character sign consisting of letters, characters, or numbers D D D, made to revolve by being attached to the spindies of a series of cog-wheels, 0, adapted to be driven by any form of motive power attached to a driving-wheel, B, in which driving-wheel the cogs are removed from 6 to 0, thus allowing the letters, characters, or numbers to become stationary at intervals, and to be thus displayed as words, figurative characters, or series of numbers, or as a combination of words, characters, or numbers, all substantially as set forth.

JOHN CRAGG.

VVitn esses JACOB G. CARPENTER, O. E. STANTON. 

